“Can’t you stick it out with me a single hour? Stay alert, be in prayer, so you don’t enter the danger zone without even knowing it. Don’t be naive. Part of you is eager, ready for anything in God; but another part is as lazy as an old dog sleeping by the fire.” (Mark 14:37-38 MSG)
On the eve of His crucifixion, Jesus takes a few of his disciples with him to a secluded place to pray. While Jesus is immersed in the presence of God, His followers fall asleep! Jesus admonishes his disciples for their spiritual laziness. These men had left their jobs and families to follow Jesus. They spent years listening to Jesus, witnessing miracles, and sharing their lives with Him. Yet, at the crucial moment, they let Him down. They had entered into the danger zone of spiritual complacency without even realizing it. While parts of them were eager to do anything for God, other parts were smug and feeble.
Try this experiment: Set aside one hour to pray silently. Notice how difficult it is to stay attentive! This is why most of us prefer entertaining worship services to quiet reflection. Perhaps we were once eager to commit fully to God, but after years of sitting in pews with other congregants, we have been lulled into self-righteous smugness. We have wandered into the danger zone of spiritual complacency without even knowing it.
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